A Lifetime of Lies
by cashew
Summary: Ginny has the life that every woman is supposed to want. She has a wonderful husband, three beautiful children, and the home of her dreams…but when she’s given the chance to change that life, to go down the more dangerous path, will she?
1. My SoCalled Life

A Lifetime of Lies

Chapter One

My So-Called Life

She threw herself down on the sofa without any trace of gracefulness. With a glance at the book that she had brought with her she cast it aside without another thought. She wasn't in the mood to read. Going on adventures through literature seemed to depress her anymore. So she sat back and looked at the clock. It was noon.

Only noon, she thought sadly. It would be seven more hours until she had another human being to converse with. Her last baby had gone to Hogwarts with his other two siblings, she was alone now. No one to look after, no one to need her. She had all ready finished her daily cleaning and had dinner preparations done until five thirty when she would actually begin the meal. There was nothing left to do. Seven hours. Her loneliness loomed over her like a dark rain cloud.

Her eyes slid shut and she thought of the thing that always brought a smile to her face, her children. She had had her first child at twenty-one and she could still remember the feeling of being home alone with her child for the first time. That panic that had settled around her chest that something was going to happen, something was going to go wrong and no one would be here to help her. She was completely and utterly responsible for another human life and that realization terrified her. She was going to mess up, she just knew it. She would do something horrible that would scar the poor child for life.

She had walked on egg shells around her own child and treated Lily as if she were made out of glass. Lily. Ginny hadn't wanted to name her that. She knew that Harry had wanted to honor the mother that he couldn't remember…but it was really a dreadful name. To go through life named after a flower seemed awful to her. She had never had the heart to start the name fight though; she had wanted so desperately to make Harry happy. So she allowed him to be the sole ruler of the name game. Lily was a good name though, she told herself now, it fit her eldest child. Ginny felt her eyes growing heavier as she had that thought, it really didn't fit her girl. Lily Potter was not the sweet-tempered girl that her name suggested. She had inherited the Weasley fiery red hair and the temper to match it. She was loud, didn't ever think of others, and was--to Harry's everlasting horror--a Slytherin.

Ginny loved her daughter and knew that she would easily lay down her own life for her, but that didn't make her blind to her faults. She belonged in Slytherin, but that didn't make her bad, or evil, or any of the other stereotypes that were placed on the house. Ginny had known for a long while that not all Slytherins were as mean-spirited as they seemed…she shook off thoughts of her life as a girl, it was no use to reflect on meaningless things that no one remembered besides herself.

Lily, she reminded herself firmly, she was thinking of Lily. Her daughter possessed many of the traits that the house was famous for though, she was cunning, smart, and self-reliant. She looked like her mother and had the nature of…no one else in her family. She had heart though, and she loved those around her more than she cared to admit. She was constantly looking out, and sticking up for, her younger brothers. Her younger _Gryffindor_ brothers. So that was saying something.

Ginny had always felt a fierce mixture of love and frustration for her daughter. Her boys though, they were poster children for a healthy household. They were considerate, kind, and extremely perceptive and conscious of other's feelings. In short, they were Harry. Even in looks there was no denying that her husband's genes had reigned supreme in the making of those boys.

Her eldest son, Dante--she had set her foot down when Harry had wanted to call the boy James--was the antithesis of his sister. They should have fought like cats and dogs throughout their childhood, it would have only made sense, but somehow their extreme differences complimented each other. They got along splendidly and each seemed to live to protect the other.

Finally her last child, Cyrus, was the quietest one of the bunch. He didn't fight with his siblings, but neither did he have anywhere close to the relationship with either of them that they seemed to have with each other. Ginny's daughter was willful and stubborn and her first son was clingy towards his sister. She had thought that maybe this would be the child that would form a special bond with her. The one that would need her as her first two children needed each other. Cyrus didn't seem to need anyone though. He wasn't dismissive and never pushed her away, he just seemed to prefer the company of himself to anyone else.

It broke her heart and made her feel incredibly selfish that her children loved her, but would not miss too many steps in their lives if she weren't around. Her thoughts drifted towards her husband…she sometimes wondered if he would even notice if she went missing. She nearly snorted, of course he would notice, there would be no dinner for him and his laundry wouldn't get done. She loved Harry, she did, it was just that she had become somewhat of his live in maid over the course of their marriage.

She had always told herself that if she got married it would be an equal partnership. She would have a job; she would bring in things to her family other than culinary and domestic skills. But Harry had a high paying job at the Ministry…and she had been pregnant by the time that they were married. It had just seemed like it would be selfish and radical of her to get a job when they had no need for the money and she was needed at home by her child, and then children.

So she stayed at home, silently telling herself that when her children were old enough she would venture into the workplace and do the things that she had always wanted to do. She was now thirty-five though, and she had never held a real job…no one would hire her. Harry had offered her the open position as his secretary, but Ginny knew she couldn't deal with that. She had gotten good marks at Hogwarts, she was smart enough. But she was getting older, and with no experience to speak of the job market presented a scary picture indeed.

A half an hour had passed. Six and a half hours to go until…until her husband came home. Ginny realized how pathetically sad that sounded. Her life now revolved around her husband, her children didn't need her so she adjusted her life to accommodate Harry's every move. It wasn't his fault she had fallen into this pit of depression, she had placed herself here.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder though, on the rare occasion that she allowed her mind to drift to that dusty place of her mental memory box, what if she had chose differently? What if she hadn't been such a coward, what if she hadn't taken the easy way out?

Her life seemed so dull on the surface. A million women before her had lived out the life she was living. The typical mother, live for your family rather than yourself. But it hadn't always been this way. There was a time that she had been well on her way to living a life of defiance, a life on the edge.

He had loved her. He had loved her in the way that she had always dreamed of being loved, that reckless forget-about-tomorrow-because-I-love-you-today sort of way…the way she had been waiting fifteen years for Harry to love her. She knew that her husband loved her, but he always held a piece of himself back. She was never allowed to see everything; she was never allowed to be the other half of his soul. He loved her the only way that he knew how, with restriction.

It wasn't his fault, she had always reasoned, he had never known real love growing up. He was afraid of his love being rejected. But the man of her youth, that dark shadow that hung over her detached romantic views, he had known absolutely no love at all before hers…and he had loved her to distraction without fear, without withdrawal. To her utter surprise and dismay she felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't allowed herself to cry over her past in years. She had chosen her path; she was determined to be happy in that decision. But she just couldn't help but wonder…what if she had married Draco instead?

Ginny didn't even bother to reprimand herself, she had six hours, she would indulge herself just this one time. She would reflect and imagine and then he would be out of her system for good. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip away.


	2. Reflections

A Lifetime of Lies

Chapter Two

Reflections

He had come to her with the change of the season. She loved the feeling that came with the change of a season; there was a promise that hung in the winds of the upcoming fall. It was her sixth year and she had known absolutely everything. Things were simple, life had lines that were clearly marked and everything was written out in black and white.

There were certainties in life, guarantees. Harry would kill Voldemort, Dumbledore would solve any problem, and life after Hogwarts was still too far away to be concerned with. It was simple, she missed that the most.

He changed things though. With his messy blonde hair and irritable smirk, he turned her world around and changed her without her knowledge or permission. It wasn't that he was devastatingly handsome, that she had been seduced by his looks, lured into his bed. It began in the hall; it ended outside in the rain.

They were both running late for breakfast. She was shoving a shoe on her foot as she hopped towards the Great Hall; he was lazily making his way down the corridor lost in thought. They ran into each other. She sat on the floor waiting for an insult that would never come. He stood up and then extended an arm to help her up. Help her, a Weasley that he was supposed to hate…she had just looked at his hand in disbelief for a solid two minutes before accepting it.

Once she was on her feet, he continued on his way.

"Hey," she had called out to him. He turned and looked at her expectantly. "Why did you do that?"

He shrugged, "I wasn't watching where I was going, you obviously weren't either, and we ran into each other. I didn't mean to do it."

"No…why did you help me up?"

"Oh. I don't know, just the decent thing to do."

Decent? Malfoy was attempting to be decent? "I, well…thank you."

His mouth twitched as though he wanted to smile. Or smirk. She wasn't sure anymore. After a moment, he went into to the door and held it open for her. They walked in, ate their respective breakfasts, and that was supposed to be the end of it. Except, she just couldn't leave it at that.

He had intrigued her; he had set the wheels in motion. If he had just said something typical and nasty to her, he would have remained 'bloody Malfoy' forever in her eyes…but he had to be so mysterious. Curiosity killed the cat. Or at least it killed all normality in her life.

She followed him one day. He was walking down the hall and she just trailed after him. She wasn't sure why…not like she had any particular reason to stalk Malfoy. Stalking wasn't exactly her forte; she turned out to be very dreadful at it.

He had whipped around and caught her red-handed. "Any reason that you're following me, Weasley, or just looking for some entertainment?"

"I…" she looked at him, having no clue what to say in this situation. Her eyes drifted up towards his hair. His hair was once slicked back into an almost helmet-like hairdo that was hideous. This year though, he had stopped putting the gel and charms on his hair. It just fell now, shading his face, blowing into his line of vision. "Why is your hair like that?" she asked before thinking.

He smiled…she wasn't sure why. "Genes. Have you ever seen Lucius?"

Ginny gave a nervous laugh, "oh, yeah." She gave a thoughtful tug to her own hair, "I can relate to that."

"I'm sure you can. See you around, Weasley."

"See you." And then she left. Nevertheless, the intrigue was still there, stronger than before. He was subdued now, no longer the spoiled arrogant child he once was. His father was still in Azkaban. She would have guessed that that was what had changed him…but he was the same brat after his father's imprisonment that he had been before it. Something else must have happened, something huge. She was dying to know what.

And so it began. She learned his habits, noticed where he liked to go and what he liked to do. He loved to fly just when the sun was setting. He would go to the library during dinner because he knew that no one else would be there. He would wander the castle halls alone, lost in thought.

And she was always there…watching, waiting for something that she couldn't identify. In the back of her mind, she knew that he was aware of, or at least suspected, her presence. He didn't seem to care though. He was always alone; she thought that perhaps he simply enjoyed the company.

Sometimes he would acknowledge her…which was how that she knew that he was aware of her shadowing. It was a joke almost. They would laugh together, making fun of a situation that they couldn't identify.

She still didn't know why she was following him. It was almost a calling, she was drawn to him. They couldn't have actual conversations in the presence of others, that wouldn't be kosher. They still had their ancestry, the inherited hatred.

He would acknowledge her, but never talk to her to the point where it could be seen as meaningful. He wouldn't even turn around to face her. There wasn't even a falter in his step as one day he called out, "Weasley." It was a statement, he didn't need to ask.

"Malfoy."

"Why do you follow me?"

"I don't know."

"Oh. All right then."

And then he continued on, with her behind him. He seemed to accept the situation, weird as it may have been.

She tried to stop. Attempted to put a halt to her borderline obsession with him…but that was impossible. It had gotten too far. It was in the way that their few words turned into something more. He would talk to her. He would call her his shadow; she would call him a smooth talker.

She could feel herself falling. Falling for something ridiculous enough to laugh over. She was falling in love with someone that she barely exchanged words with. She could read him though, and he her. It was instinctive, primitive…innocent.

It began to scare her though. She could remember the exact moment when she knew it had gone too far. They were taking their usual stroll throughout the castle; she noticed that his step was more hurried than usual.

"What's wrong?" Ginny commented from behind him.

"Why do you ask?"

"You're walking faster."

He turned sharply and she would have ran into him had he not automatically caught her in his arms. "You shouldn't know that."

She didn't say anything. She shouldn't notice things like that about him, he was right about that. "What's wrong?" she repeated as if she hadn't noticed his comment.

"Why do you know everything?"

"I don't know everything."

"You know me."

"I know you," she said in confirmation.

"Why?" he asked again.

She shrugged, "if I knew 'why' then I wouldn't follow you."

"You…" he seemed to be processing information too quickly. "You know everything about me, don't you? You know my likes, my dislikes, and everything in between."

She nodded slowly and gave a small smile, "I know nearly everything about you…and you know nothing about me." She meant it to sound ironic, he took it differently.

"And that's how you want it, isn't it? You want the upper hand, you want to know everything there is to know about me, all my weakness and strengths, and you don't want me to know anything about you."

"That's not how I want it. You've never taken the time to notice me; you don't know anything because you don't pay attention, you-"

"When you're upset you chew on your hair--which is a disgusting habit by the way--you sing loud and off key whenever you think you're alone in the hallways, you eat your food in order, you finish one item and then move on to the next. Don't tell me that I don't pay attention."

"And why would you know all of that about me?"

"For the same reason that you watch me and follow me, I don't know." He let go of her arms as if he had forgotten that he had a hold of them. He turned back around and continued down the hallway.

She waited a moment before sighing and going after him. She couldn't live without knowing why.


	3. New Beginnings

A Lifetime of Lies

Chapter Four

New Beginnings

Ginny felt her eyes growing heavier, sleep was beckoning. With forced motivation she got up from her spot on the sofa, an afternoon nap was the last thing she needed. Especially now, she would surely have dreams--or nightmares--of her past.

She just stood for a moment, in a trance of sorts. Trying desperately to pull herself out of her memories. Suddenly a sound from the fireplace snapped her out of her zoned out state. Ginny glanced over towards the direction of the noise, someone was flooing her.

Her eyes narrowed in interest, Ginny made her way over to the fireplace. Expecting to see either Harry or one of her family members, she was shocked to find a young blonde waiting for her. A perky beautiful looking blonde-haired woman with big blue eyes and an innocent smile.

"May I help you?"

"Yeah," the girl said cheerfully, "I'm looking for Harry, is he here? I know he told me that he's never home…but he wasn't at the office so I figured I might as well check here."

"Harry isn't here," Ginny said coldly, "did you want to leave a message?"

"Hmm, well do you have any idea where he would be?"

"Work."

"No…I suppose I could leave a message, are you the maid or something?"

"Yes," Ginny responded with a sense of irony, "I am the maid."

"Okay, well just tell Harry that Heather can't make it tonight because I have to go home to see my parents. Oh! And tell him that I had a fabulous time last night, and I will see him on Saturday. That's all, bye!"

The head disappeared from the fireplace and Ginny stood still in shock. Harry had a Heather. How lovely, how just absolutely bloody perfect.

She stared blankly out the window as if she would see something that would unlock the meaning to life for her. She could have sworn that she saw someone out the window…it was only her own reflection though. Feeling silly, she attempted to laugh, but could not shake the overpowering urge to cry. The person she had thought she had seen was old and rundown looking.

Feigning bravery that she did not possess at the moment, Ginny turned to look into the mirror that was located on their wall. Walking closer and feeling more miserable with every step, she examined her appearance with objectiveness. She felt a sob building up in her throat as she gingerly touched the wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes…when had those appeared?

Her hair was horrid. It had not been cut or styled in ages; it was now long and constantly tangled. Over the years, her youthful burnt orange coloring had faded to a pasty sort of color. She had always heard others say that once you had children you let your appearance go…but she had never noticed it in herself before.

"No wonder," she said in shaky voice, "that he'd have someone on the side. You're a wife, not a lover."

She shook her head and tried her hardest not to cry. It was probably just all a misunderstanding…he would not have taken a mistress. He loved her, she knew he did. But if he was cheating on her, if he didn't love her…then what was she going to do? All she had known for most of her adult life was how to be Harry Potter's wife. If she wasn't that anymore, than who was she?

Ginny looked around at her surroundings. It all seemed so fake now, so meaningless. This house that Harry had bought, the furnishings that Harry had bought. He had bought it all, and if he did not want her anymore than she did not want to be here anymore.

She hastily grabbed the notepad that they kept by the door for little memos to each other.

Harry,

I went for a walk.

Oh, and Heather was looking for you, she cannot make it tonight. But rest assured that she had a glorious time last night.

p.s.

Didn't you have to work late last night?

Ginny

Satisfied with her note and the look on her husband's face when he read it Ginny threw open the door and walked out into the world.

Ginny decided that there is one major problem with venturing out into the world: there is nothing to do. She settled for just walking around for a bit, but everything seemed to grow more horrible by doing that.

She passed the park where she and Harry had always played with the kids. Her eyes threatened to mist over when she saw the swing set where she had so many good memories. When Lily was a baby Ginny would hold her in her lap on the first swing and Harry would push them both…

And Dante had gotten his first scrap on the slide near the swing, she had been so proud of him for not crying…

It was her fault. If she had not been so bloody wrapped up in her past she would have been a proper wife. Harry wouldn't have needed to cheat if she had been there for him. But no, she was constantly wondering and regretting things that were far-gone.

Could she really blame him?

Her tears finally spilled over as she sat down on a park bench. She did not know what to think, how she was supposed to feel. When she had first found out she had been more concerned about her bloody appearance than the fact that Harry was finding solace and comfort in the arms of another.

All she was concerned with was that he had cheated because she was not beautiful anymore.

"I'm a horrible person," Ginny cried between sobs.

"There, there dear, it can't be as bad as all that."

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she came to the realization that someone else was there with her. She looked up through blurred vision to see an old woman, smiling down kindly at her.

"Excuse me," Ginny whispered, "I wasn't aware that anyone else was here."

The woman gave her a friendly look, "I have found over the years that when you barely reach five feet in height, it's easy for people to not notice you around. Now, why don't you tell me why such a pretty thing as you is sitting on a bench crying?"

Ginny could not help but feel a bit of self-gratification at being called pretty. And then she hated herself even more after receiving that feeling. She felt herself start to cry harder and the woman placed a reassuring arm around Ginny's shoulders. Thinking of the way that her mother used to hold her this way whenever she would cry as a child, Ginny did not bother to push her away.

"Now," the woman said once Ginny's sob began to subside, "tell me what is wrong."

Ginny lifted her head to look into the woman's eyes to tell her that it was personal; she didn't want to talk about it. But the woman had sharp, bright blue eyes that were compelling…hypnotizing. Despite herself, and her common sense Ginny felt her entire sob story begin to come out.

"My husband," she said shakily, "my husband is…cheating on me."

The woman let out a gasp, "now would any man need to cheat on you?"

"Oh, it's all my fault! If I had been a good wife, the wife he deserves, then he wouldn't have gotten a Heather!"

"Well," the old woman said indignantly, "I've never heard it being the fault of the woman for the man going astray."

Ginny shook her head, "you don't understand though, I'm a terrible wife. When we got married I was already pregnant!"

"Dear, that isn't so bad, this is a relatively modern world, you are not a bad person for having…relations, before marriage."

"But," she hiccupped, "I was pregnant with another man's child!"

"Oh. Well, I suppose that does complicate things somewhat. Why did you not marry this other man instead?"

"Because I was scared…and stupid. And I do love Harry--that's my husband's name--but half of the time I just wonder, what if I had chose differently?"

The woman gave Ginny's knee a squeeze. "We all have decisions in our lives that we wish we could change. Do you truly wish to change yours, or do you merely wonder?"

Ginny felt her tears stop, "I…he died. The other man died a few years back, and the day that I heard it, I have never felt so heartbroken, so alone. If he had been with me, he wouldn't have died…I wish I had chosen him, I wish I had at least attempted to follow my heart rather than my common sense."

The woman smiled, "very well. Go to sleep, dear, you've had a long day."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but despite herself, she felt her eyelids growing heavier. And while she was thinking of how she was not tired, she fell into the darkness of her mind.

Ginny awoke waiting for the feeling of stiffness and soreness that would surely come from having the stupidity of falling asleep on a park bench. However, she wasn't sore at all…in fact, she was rather comfortable.

Confused and still slightly groggy Ginny opened an eye to look at her surroundings; she was in a bed…but not her bed. This one had green silk sheets, huge fluffy pillows, and…another body?

Ginny gasped and jumped away from the foreign body, that certainly wasn't Harry. This person--who had their back to her--had pale skin, and blonde…almost silvery…hair.

"Draco?" she whispered disbelievingly.

The man jerked awake and rolled over, "Gin," he said with both eyes still closed, "remember how we talked about sleeping until the afternoon when we were lucky enough to get all the kids to Hogwarts? Why are you ruining our beautiful dream?" He reached over and pulled her to him, "now, go back to sleep."

Ginny pushed him away and sat up, "Draco?" she repeated once more, "how…why…I have to go, I have to get home."

Losing his teasing mood, he sat up and grabbed her shoulders, "Ginny, what the hell are you talking about? Are you quite alright?"

"No…no, where am I? Why are you here?"

He narrowed his eyes and sighed deeply. "It's too early to play these games…you are at your home, and if you have forgotten where that is, it is Malfoy Manner. I am here because I am your husband, just as I have been for well over a decade now."

"I…" she remembered the old woman. The old woman with her _hypnotizing _blue eyes. And she felt duped. A genie, the woman was a bloody genie! But not the stereotypical genie with a lamp that you rub, no, the modern genie was deceptive, and tricky. And Ginny had said the words 'I wish.' Shit.

"Gin," he looked at her worriedly, "Are you feeling ill? You look a bit pale."

"I'm fine," she whispered. Suddenly she looked at him with a smile; Draco was alive, and he was here with her. "Could you…hold me?"

He smiled in a goofy way that she had nearly forgotten, the way he would only smile at her, and only when they were alone. She had always loved that smile; it was when he would let down his guard. "Do you even have to ask?"

He hugged her close to him and she felt herself falling back asleep. She didn't want to worry about all that was wrong with this situation…right now, she just wanted to lay in the arms of a man that she had loved half of her life and who she thought was dead.


	4. A Different Life

Lifetime of Lies

Chapter Four

A Different Life

Brown eyes flickered open with panic. Ginny sat up in the bed and noticed immediately that she was alone. She looked around, she was still wrapped in green silk sheets, and now that the sun was out, she could view the room more clearly. This was most definitely not her home, and it was far too detailed to be a dream.

It was real; she was here with Draco. She looked down at her hand and noticed the new set of rings that resided on her left ring finger. The engagement ring she was used to seeing there was a simply cut diamond proceeded by a solid gold wedding band. It had always reminded her of her relationship and love with Harry, simple.

This ring though, this new one, was positively exquisite. The large diamond was surrounded by ruby that twisted complicatedly around the unusual shape of the diamond. She smiled, the basis of each man's personality shone through the ring of his choice.

Ginny took a breath and climbed out of the large bed, she had to find Draco. It seemed essential to find him, to see him in the daylight, to feel him with her own hands to make sure that he was real.

She had gone to his funeral. She knew as she stood in cool September shades that if Harry found out a fight would ensue that would never finish. She could not bring herself to care. Draco's death had stuck her in a deep hole of depression and extreme regret. If only she had went with him…if only she had told him that it was his child that she was carrying, not Harry's. He would have settled down with her, he would not have gone on his lifelong suicide mission to bring down an unstoppable evil.

Ginny shook herself and walked out of the room. Her and Draco's room. It was nice to think about…

"Draco," she called out hesitantly, "are you here?"

Hearing no answer, she took the opportunity to explore a bit. The house was huge, but that did not exactly surprise her. Draco had told her that they were in Malfoy Manner; he had called it her home. The house seemed too big and imposing to be labeled as her home. She was used to a house where you could call out someone's name from anywhere in the house and they would hear you. This…mansion, had wings, someone could get lost and die of starvation around here.

She walked down the long hallway and noticed a room with the door cracked open. Her curiosity raised, she entered the room slowly. It was big, but not as big as the one she had woken up in. Ginny walked over to the wall where various pictures were up. She raised her eyebrows; this person was an artist, and a very talented artist at that.

He had mentioned children. Children that were at Hogwarts. Her breath caught in her throat, this must be her child's room. Ginny immediately reprimanded herself, of course, it was not her child, and Draco was not her husband. It was all artificial, the work a genie who did not know when to bloody well back off. Well, Ginny knew one thing, she was reporting that woman to the Ministry of Magic the second she got back, genie or not, you were not allowed to go around changing people's lives without permission.

In the midst of her self-indulgent mental rant, Ginny caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. She walked over to a desk where it had come from; it was a large wizarding photo. She felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at the picture, it was Lily.

Ginny felt tears come to her eyes, her daughter was here as well. She examined the picture with extreme scrutiny, the girl that had always been the spitting image of her was different now. Her beautiful long red hair was now shoulder-length and dyed black. She took a step back as she realized what was different about the picture; there was no smile on her daughter's face.

Not that her Slytherin girl was one to be fluffy and happy at all times, she was normally cynical and sarcastic. However, whenever there was a camera opportunity she would roll her eyes, but then put on a bright smile anyway. This girl though, this Lily, was so…menacing, and unhappy in her photo.

"Ginny," the loud voice from the hallway caused her to jump in alarm.

She took a minute to collect herself and to make sure that her voice would not crack. "Yeah," she called back.

The door opened once more and Draco stepped in. "There you are," he said with a small smile, "I couldn't figure out where you had run off to. I should have guessed that you would be in here though, you always have had a magnet to this room."

Ginny nodded slowly, "well, you know how it is."

He stepped over to her and took a hold of her elbow, "cheer up, sweetheart, Meghan will be home in a few weeks for Christmas break. And before you venture across the hall, Anthony will be back then as well."

Meghan and Anthony. Not Lily and Dante, and no substitute at all for Cyrus.

She glanced over at Draco carefully as they made their way down the hall. "Is she…Meghan," Ginny began slowly, "is she…happy?"

He gave her a strange glance, "why do you ask?"

Ginny attempted a smile, as if the conversation was silly to her. "Oh, you know, I just wanted your viewpoint on it."

He shrugged and returned her smile, "of course she is happy. She has everything a child could want, she has two parents who love her, she never wants for material possessions, and she is one of the most popular students in Slytherin. Stop worrying about her, Ginny."

"You had all those things too," Ginny whispered shakily, "and you were miserable."

Draco shook his head, "I never had love, and you know that."

"And does love equal happiness?"

"Of course. Are you sure you are all right, dear? You are acting quite peculiar." He took a quick intake of breath, as if choking, "you aren't…that is, you are not possibly…are you?"

Ginny laughed in spite herself, "If I had any idea of what you were trying to say I would be more than happy to tell you if I was, or was not."

Her laughter subsided when she saw his eyes flicker meaningfully towards her stomach. She placed an unconscious hand overtop her abdomen, "of course not!"

Draco did not appear to be convinced. "You were pale this morning…you looked as though you were about to be sick. And you've been moody--"

"I am not bloody pregnant!"

He did not seem to have heard her. "Of course, I would not mind if you were, you know I would love nothing more for you to have my child…but we just go some time to ourselves finally, and I thought we would have a while to enjoy that."

Feeling suddenly cross, Ginny gave him a cold glare. "Well, it would not exactly be my fault if I were pregnant. Rest assured though, I am not, so you will have your precious alone time. Though if you keep acting like this, you might be more alone than you bargained for."

Draco sighed and placed and pulled her into him. "I didn't mean it like that. Even if you are not, promise me that you will make an appointment with a healer, you worried me this morning. I just want to make sure that you're healthy, Gin."

"Fine," Ginny mumbled from against his chest, "if it is that big of a deal to you, I'll go."

"That's a girl." He kissed her forehead and once more grabbed a hold of her arm, "now, it is time for breakfast."

Ginny could hardly believe that this extravagant feast was labeled as breakfast. With the distinct exception of Hogwarts, she was used to the policy that if she wanted something to eat in the morning, she was expected to fix it for herself. And while she was at it, she had to multiply portions to accommodate however many were in the house.

However, the only finger she had to lift was to pick up her silverware, and she had a feeling that if she did not want to that, Draco would find someone to do it for her. As much as she enjoyed eating without cooking and being waited on hand and foot…she could not help but grow a bit bored during the meal. It seemed to drag on forever, an hour at least. At her home breakfast was a grab and go sort of affair. There was always something else that needed to be done, there was not time to sit and actually eat the food.

It was not that she did not enjoy long meals, but she recalled from experience that Draco did not like to talk while eating. He said the prospect of chewing and talking was nauseating, and if forced to talk he lost his appetite. Therefore, she sat and ate in silence, growing more jaded by the minute.

Once Draco appeared to be finally done, he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, Ginny, are you planning on going shopping today?"

"Shopping?" she echoed. "I don't know, was I supposed to?"

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "You told me yesterday that you had new robes to pick up for you and Meghan."

"Oh," Ginny amended quickly, "yes, of course, it just slipped my mind for a second."

Draco nodded slowly. "Well, I must be off; I have that meeting I have to sit in on at the Ministry. Remember that you are meeting at my office at six for dinner."

"Right, I will see you at six then…dear."

He stood, and she followed suit. He walked over to her, and placed a light kiss on her lips before apparating away.

Ginny glanced around at her empty surroundings and was not sure if she could even manage to find her way back to her room without the help of a map. "Great, what am I supposed to do now?"


	5. First Date

A Lifetime of Lies

Chapter Five

First Date

Ginny sat in the midst of chaotic activity without any foresight to it ending soon. She had gone shopping, or, at least she thought that she had gone shopping, before, but it was nothing like this. This, was nothing short of surreal. But, then again, everything here was.

After awkwardly asking one of the maids--yes, she now had maids. Apparently, Draco preferred real people serving them, rather than house elves--where she was supposed to report to for her shopping excursion, she had ended up here. It had appeared to be someone's house, but in actuality was some sort of stylish underground shop.

"Mrs. Malfoy, what do you think of this? Mrs. Malfoy? Mrs. Malfoy?"

Ginny's head snapped up once she realized that someone was addressing her as Mrs. Malfoy. "Sorry, I got sidetracked. What did you need?"

"These robes, Mrs. Malfoy, do you like them?"

Ginny looked down at a bright green material with cuts and slices all over. Her eyes widened as she saw the low neckline and some of the revealing places that the cuts resided. "That isn't finished is it? I mean, you still have sewing to do, right?"

The woman looked at her blankly. "Of course it is finished, Mrs. Malfoy. Would you like something else done to it?"

"You…you want me to wear _that_?"

She laughed in a loud high way. "No, no, I would never ask you to wear something as risky as this. Honestly, Mrs. Malfoy--"

"Ginny, call me Ginny, please."

She looked uncomfortable at this request. "Alright, Ginny. Anyway, I know that you do not wear things such as this. This is for Meghan, the dress that she wanted to wear to your annual Holiday Ball."

Ginny gasped, her daughter, her baby, was going to wear that? "Meghan…that is the robe that Meghan wants to wear?"

"Well, yes. You picked the pattern last week, you told me you wanted a rush job done…you do like it, don't you?"

Sensing the woman's growing panic, Ginny suppressed her own. "It's fine. Perfect in fact. Thank you, very much."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Wonderful. Now, about tonight, I assume you'll want something new to wear."

"Tonight?"

"Your dinner with Mr. Malfoy," she clarified.

"How did you know about that?"

The woman smiled. "I have your schedule of course; you know that you have it sent over to me weekly so I may prepare your wardrobe."

Ginny sat in shock. She received a new wardrobe every week? The last time that she had bought anything for herself that she knew of was years ago. Every time that she went shopping, she meant to pick up things for herself, but always ended up finding things that the kids would like, or something that Harry needed for work.

She opened her mouth to politely tell the woman that she did not need anything new, after all, she had gotten an outfit this morning to wear out, when it came to clothes in this life, her cup runneth over; but the temptation proved to be too tempting. "Yes, I would love something new to wear this evening."

Ginny apparated into the Ministry with no small amount of embarrassment. She had assumed that by a new outfit the designer would give her a new robe. That was apparently not the same idea the woman had in mind. The woman who turned out to be muggleborn with a flair for wizarding and muggle fashion.

She had placed Ginny in a sleek black dress with heels taller than anything she had ever thought appropriate. While Ginny walked to where she was told Draco's office was she resisted the urge to close her eyes in horror that people were actually seeing her like this. She hadn't shown this much skin in public since she was sixteen.

With relief she entered Draco's office and took immediate notice to the overall luxury of it. From growing up with frequent visits to her father's cramped office, Ginny always had pictured all Ministry offices to be such. Harry's had been far better than her father's, but this…this was not an office.

"Draco?" she called out timidly. "Are you here?"

He walked out of side bathroom in a black suit and a smile. "Hello, Ginny. I must say, you look more beautiful than usual this evening, quite a feat in itself as it is a difficult task indeed to surpass your daily beauty."

She blushed good-naturedly at the compliment. "So, where are we having dinner then?"

"Well it would ruin the surprise if I told you, now wouldn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose it would. Since when do you wear muggle suits anyway?"

"Since now. Stop being nosey, you aren't going to get any hints from me. Now, my lovely wife, shall we go?"

Ginny hooked her arm with his. "But of course."

Draco led Ginny out of the Ministry of Magic building and straight onto the streets of London. Ginny could not manage to keep the blush off of her face as she could not help but notice the stares that she was getting from many males that passed by them. For the first time in a long time she felt beautiful…and that fact in itself placed her spirits in a place far higher than they had been in months.

She smiled for no reason at all and squeezed Draco's arm just to experience the rush of having said arm slide around her shoulders. Ginny had long since assumed on dinner being held at a restaurant in London, she was, after all, not completely dense; but she had been picturing the typical upscale luxurious that would require Draco to be in a suit, and her in a dress…what she found instead was something vastly different.

Ginny peered up at Draco, waiting for an explanation.

He only gave her a small secretive smile. "I knew you wouldn't remember."

"Remember what?"

He gestured to the diner that sat in front of her, "I realize it has been years, Gin, but we are hardly old enough to be losing our memories as rapidly as all that."

As Ginny was about to question him once more and reprimand him for teasing her, she really looked at the diner. And she did remember.

(Warning, flashback to occur in five…four…three…two…one)

Ginny stared hardly at Draco's back. It had been three days since they had spoken last. Not that it was unusual in the least for them to go without speaking; they were, after all, blood enemies. It was a social norm for a Malfoy and a Weasley to go without speaking. Even when one Weasley was following a Malfoy, the silence would cease to shock either party.

It was only the explanations that filled their silence that was putting a strain on Ginny. It was in the way that he refused to communicate with her that she knew he was truly angry with her for once. If the silence was a result from a lack of things to be said she would reside in it happily…but her mouth was overflowing with words that needed to come out.

"Draco," she sighed heavily, "I said I was sorry."

He stopped walking, which was not a good sign. "I heard you when you said it the first time, no need to repeat yourself."

Ginny angrily walked ahead until she was the one in front. She faced him and saw an expressiveness in his eyes that she had never took notice of before. "Well if you heard me you could have very well acknowledged it."

"Acknowledge what, Ginny? That you practiced the overused and meaningless phrase of 'sorry' on me? Fine, consider it duly noted."

"It was not meaningless," she muttered lowly. "Stop being so high and holy, _Malfoy_. I do not know what you expect me to do here…"

"I do not expect you to do anything, Weasley," he spat, "I only ask that you rise above this cowardly and submissive state that you find yourself in."

Her eyes flashed in hot anger, "I am not a coward. I went on one date, that is it. You have no cause to be irate with me for it is not as though you and I are anything."

"It is not the fact that you went on the date, Ginny, it is who you went out with that is causing me to be so 'irate' as you put it."

Ginny cast her eyes down to the floor. "He asked me out…I panicked and said yes out of habit, I don't even like him anymore."

"Obviously that is untrue," he commented dryly, "as you took all of two seconds to acquiesce to his request."

"I told you that I panicked! Besides," she looked at him pointedly, "it is not as though I have any other offers, Draco."

"You want me to take you out?" he asked almost mockingly.

"I don't know what I want. All I am saying is that you cannot get this pissed over my date with Harry and then laugh at the idea of dating me yourself."

"It would never work, Ginny."

"As would any relationship between us." It was left unsaid that a relationship of some sort already existed.

He shrugged, "Point taken." Draco grabbed a hold of her arm and led her down a hallway that she did not recognize.

"Draco," she protested as she yanked her arm away, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Making a choice. Are you coming?"

She smiled at the spontaneity of the situation. "Sure, why not?"

(Flashback over)

Ginny gazed at the diner with a newfound fondness. "The only place where the site of a Malfoy and a Weasley eating dinner would shock no one," she quoted him from memory.

"I knew you had yet to succumb to senility," he responded with a playful proud voice. He looked down at his watch and led her into the beaten down diner where they looked quite out of place, "I do believe that it has been exactly twenty years, Mrs. Malfoy."

She smiled slowly and grasped the concept of twenty years. Twenty years of uninterrupted time with Draco…the thought made her smile wider. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

He looked down at her seriously, "twenty years is not nearly long enough." He lowered his head and kissed her with a slow sensuality that sparked her desire for the man standing in front of her.

Thoughts of anything besides Draco were immediately pushed out of her mind as she followed him into the diner. She laughed at the sight of them amidst the sea of casual diners in their in vague attire and took a seat with Draco in a booth that held twenty years worth of memories for one of them; and a new beginning for the other.


End file.
